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Author Notes: This makes for a great brunch or a good starter for an elegant dinner. The key to success here is to get the inside done without burning the crust. Patience in other words. - thirschfeld - thirschfeld

Food52 Review: Thirschfeld's rosti is crunchy and buttery on the outside and soft without being mushy on the inside. The presentation is gorgeous, and will definitely impress guests. The rosti is perfectly complimented by the tangy and zesty horseradish cream, briny capers, and luscious smoked salmon. It was my first attempt at a rosti that actually came out in one piece! I don't know if it was the grapeseed oil, or using the mandoline to shred the potatoes, or one of the other details in the instructions, but whatever it was worked. I used the 5mm julienne blade and set the mandoline at 2mm, to get nice thin shreds. I didn't find smoked gravlax, so substituted smoked salmon lox. The rosti would also be delicious served with smoked ham in place of the gravlax, or sour cream and applesauce like a traditional potato pancake. I will definitely make this again. - hardlikearmour

Serves 4

1 1/4pounds russet potatoes, scrubbed and roughly peeled

4tablespoons unsalted butter

2tablespoons grape seed oil

4pieces gravlax style smoked salmon

4 caper berries

1/3cup cultured sour cream

2teaspoons prepared horseradish

kosher salt and fresh ground white pepper

1tablespoon fresh chives minced

Place a clean towel under a mandoline and grate the potatoes using the julienned blade and let them fall right onto the towel. Bunch up the corner of the towel and rinse the potatoes under cold running water. Twist the towel forming a tight ball and keep twisting until all the moisture is removed.

Place the potatoes into a bowl and combine with the melted butter. Season with salt and white pepper.

Heat a 10 inch nonstick saute pan over medium heat. Add the grape seed oil and then place the potatoes evenly across the bottom of the pan.

It took me 8 minutes on medium flame then bumping it up to medium high for 6 minutes to get the right crust. Use that as a guide it is not an absolute.

When the rosti is ready to flip use an over size lid or pizza pan and cover the saute pan. Do this by the sink. Flip, without hesitation, while holding the pizza pan tightly to the pan, and them slide the cake carefully back into the pan. Cook the other side of the rosti until crispy.

Combine the sour cream with the horseradish and season it with salt and pepper. Roll the salmon slices attractively. Rinse the caper berries. Chop the chives.

Arrange the different elements attractively on the cake, cut, and serve.

and what does scubbed mean? LOL. Sometimes I just peel a ring around the middle leaving some of the skin because I like the flavor but don't want to much of that flavor. So I guess roughly means don't be retentive about any peel left on the potato

I first tried rosti after a long hike in a snowstorm to a little mountain hut in the Swiss Alps. Nothing has ever tasted so good in my life. I thought the topping of a fried egg was perfect, but this looks intriguing...

Brother T, I rarely have cause to quibble with you but true gravlax is cured and not smoked---fresh salmon, cured with salt, dill and maybe aquvit or vodka. In a way it's like the difference between bacon and pancetta. But the recipe sounds great, and I still want to cook with you some time too.

I am glad you pointed that out monsignore pierino. I have made gravlax many different ways and while I like the original I also like the kind that is cured and lightly cold smoked. Never the less you are correct in your statement about true gravlax and I should have pointed that out. Thanks brother p

Wow. All of my favorite things together...this is a sure hit. Thirschfeld, maybe you can go on vacation for say, a month or so? Strategically move off the grid? Give the rest of us a fighting chance? ;)

I often think of the, if you have ever been to New Mexico, the mother ship buses buried in the desert, Somewhere not to far from Ojo Caliente, but it just seems like a full time job to move off the grid.

You have to stop! I can not bear it. It all starts with the crunchy and creamy potato cake... then you stuck ham and gruyere in it, then pork confit, now gravlax and horsradish creme. OMG. What next ...lobster with hollandaise? I can't take this contest. I love this stuff. That's it, I am moving next door, Tom! It also doesn't help that I am trying to be healthy before the feast on Thursday. This site is killing me today.

I've been thinking about making gravlax, after eating some that monkeymom made for our potluck with Amanda earlier this month. It was so, so good! Now I simply must. I'm not real fond of caper berries, so I'll probably go with the small ones . . . but I plan to do everything I can to get that gravlax started soon, so I can make this!! Oh heck, I'll go buy some gravlax. I want this now. ;o)

One of the best recipes I have ever used for gravlax is Julia Childs from her book she did with Jaque Pepin. The flavor is unbeatable, dill and cognac. It takes a couple of days because she does the long version but they are worth it.

I have a question about step 1 on the recipe "Rosti with Gravlax, Caper Berries and Horsradish Cream" from thirschfeld. It says:
"Place a clean towel under a mandoline and grate the potatoes using the julienned blade and let them fall right onto the towel. Bunch up the corner of the towel and rinse the potatoes under cold running water. Twist the towel forming a tight ball and keep twisting until all the moisture is removed."

I have a question about step 1 on the recipe "Rosti with Gravlax, Caper Berries and Horsradish Cream" from thirschfeld. It says:
"Place a clean towel under a mandoline and grate the potatoes using the julienned blade and let them fall right onto the towel. Bunch up the corner of the towel and rinse the potatoes under cold running water. Twist the towel forming a tight ball and keep twisting until all the moisture is removed."